Harry Potter and the Harbingers
by halmir
Summary: The Harbingers are an elite fighting force loyal to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. How will they respond to the betrayal of their Lord and Lady, and what lengths will they go to to protect their new Lord?  Greedy!Manip!Dumbledore Some bashing!
1. Prologue

**[A/N] **This is the first Fan Fiction that I have published. Currently this is unbetaed. This first chapter was meant to be a Prologue and ended up being longer than most chapters I tend to write for my original stories. This is actually a collection of scenes meant to introduce characters and give some timeframe for the story according to canon and the HP Lexicon. Please Read and Review, and remember this is for posterity's sake, so be honest. (Sorry, couldn't resist that line from "The Princess Bride")

**[Edit]** Had to change a single word, didn't see it until after posting.

**[Disclaimer]** JK Rowling owns the canon, I own the OCs and the current idea; but will take and alter some things from the books for this.

**Harry Potter and the Harbingers**

**Prologue**

**Feb 15, 1980**

**Potter Manor**

Constantine LeBrock, 'Connie' to his friends, stood in the library of Potter Manor arguing with his Lord, James Potter. "Milord, we cannot defend you if you go to Godric's Hollow. It is our duty to protect you. Ordering us to scatter and leave Britain won't do any of us any good."

Constantine was a young man of 19, was about five feet-eight inches tall, had long reddish-brown hair tied back in a ponytail, had fiercely determined brown eyes, and wore black clothing covered with a black duster that reached the top of his black leather boots topped off with a black fedora. Despite his youth, but because of all of his training and combat experience during the War, he had just been promoted to Captain of Potter's Harbingers.

The Harbingers were an elite four person team from several nations whose sole purposes were to dispense justice and defend the members of House Potter at all costs. Each member had sworn fealty to House Potter and was a force to be reckoned with without any of the other members. Together, the Harbingers were an unstoppable force, but they could not attack without proper reason. The deaths of Muggles, Muggle-born wizards, and Purebloods alone were not enough reason; only with direct attacks on the Potters themselves could they retaliate or when ordered to by the Lord Potter. They had done so with the death of James Potter's parents, and for now the Death Eaters had left the Potters alone. Now, James wanted to expose himself, his wife, and unborn male child to the possibility of attack.

James looked at the commanding officer of Potter's Harbingers and sighed, "Connie, I do not ask this of you lightly. Lily's, our child's, and my destinies are set. We have to go to Godric's Hollow in order to expose everyone that has or will betray us. If you are defending us, few if any would be exposed; because they most likely would not dare to try to get at us. Plus, there is no way you'd be able to exact justice; because not all of them would be exposed. Trust me on this, Lily has seen it."

"But, what of your unborn child, milord," Connie asked changing tactics, "surely he should not be exposed to the danger?"

James sighed, "It is a necessary evil. He will be having a very hard life ahead of him, and you will have to help him pick up the pieces. When the time is right, he will summon you all back. However, for you Connie, I have a special task. There is a girl that needs to be protected. She is the key to his future happiness and the continuation of the House. You must protect her and guide her whenever possible, but you must do it without anyone knowing until you are called forth by my son. For a few years yet, she will be safe. But, then she will be in danger, especially after she meets my son. I suggest you head back to America and visit your family for the next year or so. Return after we have gone, and do what I have asked."

"I already know about the girl, milord," Connie stated. "Remember, I told you about her the day she was born last September. You know that is one of the reasons a member of my line has always lead the Harbingers. We can sense the existence of our Lords and Ladies from the moment they are born. And due to my connection with the other Harbingers they can sense the existence of our Lord when he is born. They, however, will not be able to sense the location or existence of our Lady; only I can. This, I know, is one of the reasons why you are giving me the mission to protect and guide her."

James could only nod as he turned away from Connie and moved to a table next to which a pensieve stood and on which a small wooden box laid. James picked up the box and motioned to the pensieve. "Connie, for your mission, you will need both of these. The box contains Lily's visions of the girl and a few other circumstances and situations. You will need them to find and help her at specific times, even with your abilities. To view a vision, pour the vial containing it into the pensieve and put your face into it. You will be transported into the vision and can inspect things even that the person who originally saw it might not have seen. Look at each vision closely and individually. If you don't, the consequences can be dire."

Connie bowed, taking the box of vials containing Lily's visions and the pensieve; he knew when he could no longer object his Lord's wishes. "I'll do as you command, milord. Hopefully, we will come out of this victorious and stronger than ever before."

"Yes, Connie, hopefully we will," James stated sadly. "Tell my son when you see him that we love him and if we could we would have spared him all the suffering he will go through."

"I will tell him, milord," Connie replied holding back the tears. He turned and left Potter Manor, refusing to look behind him. He had his orders and now had to tell the other Harbingers.

**Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts**

Albus Dumbledore was worried. Potter's Harbingers had disappeared, which meant that the Potters were now vulnerable. But, the vulnerability of the Potters did not actually worry him, it was the fact he did not know the whereabouts of the Harbingers. With the Potters now being vulnerable, his plans could go forward. But, without knowing where the Harbingers were, he could not know when they would avenge them should his plans succeed. What worried him most is that he knew when they came back; he would be high on their list of targets. But, as he consoled himself, it would be a sacrifice for the Greater Good. Once the Potters were gone, the Harbingers would be nothing more than a vigilante force that would be sent to Azkaban without any powerful sponsors. And, without House Potter around to sponsor them, they would be easily wiped out.

He left his desk in his office in Hogwarts. He left for a meeting with the new Professor of Divination at the Hog's Head Inn in Hogsmeade to set his plan in motion. He knew already that a part of a prophecy would be heard by someone, as that had already been arranged. Trelawney had already told him the prophecy, but he had to have it repeated in such a way as to allow Voldemort to learn just a small part of it. Then, Voldemort would carry out the rest of Dumbledore's plan to get rid of the Potters and his hands would be clean.

His goal was to eliminate the Potters since they had so much influence, they were holding back his Greater Good and had been since Grindewald was defeated. Their Harbingers were even more of a problem as they would eliminate any threats to the Potters whenever they were attacked. Then, there was their wealth and status as an Ancient and Noble House. Without an heir the wealth of the Potters and their seats on the Wizengamot would be divided up amongst the members of the Wizengamot, with the largest share of both being his. And, if he could get Voldemort to do his dirty work for him so much the better. And, with Aberforth's help, Voldemort would only learn enough to go after the Potters. However, if he was wrong, then the victims would be the Longbottoms. But, the Longbottoms were tucked behind the most powerful wards possible short of blood and Goblin wards, which meant it would be unlikely for them to be targeted.

**Hog's Head Inn, Hogsmeade**

Severus Snape sat at a table in the corner of the inn waiting for Albus Dumbledore to show up. He had learned that Dumbledore would be there to interview an applicant to the Divination teaching position. Hopefully, he'd learn something that would be of use to the Dark Lord. If not, he might be punished.

He perked up when he saw Albus Dumbledore walk towards the stairs that lead to the rooms for boarders. After Dumbledore passed, Snape got up from his table to follow; looking around to make sure he wasn't noticed as he followed. After climbing the stairs, he smiled as he saw Dumbledore enter a room. Glancing around to make sure he still was unnoticed, Snape moved to the door and placed his ear against to see if he could hear anything being said.

"I do not believe that the post would fit your talents, Ms. Trelawney," Dumbledore kindly stated. "However, at some point in the future, when your talents are further developed, you might be the perfect fit."

A harsh voice suddenly emanated from the room, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"

Snape was unable to hear any more as Aberforth Dumbledore saw him and yelled, "OI! Eavesdropping in my establishment? Get out of here, you filth!" Aberforth grabbed Snape by the collar of his robes and threw him out of the Hog's Head Inn.

Inside the room, Albus Dumbledore was smiling to himself. It may take years, but the die had been cast. The Potters would probably be the victims of Voldemort, but first he needed to finish setting them up. He needed to make them an attractive target by weaken their defenses. He knew Lily and James were moving to Godric's Hollow to have their child. It was somewhat remote, thereby making it an unlikely target for Voldemort. But, it also meant that they were more vulnerable, because reinforcements would have a hard time reaching them in time should they be attacked. Now, if he could get them to use the Fidelius Charm and get someone less trustworthy as their Secret Keeper. Their first choice would come down to either Sirius Black or Remus Lupin. Both of them were extremely loyal to James. Peter Pettigrew, on the other hand, was already spying for Voldemort. If he could get him to be their Secret Keeper, then his plans would be fixed and victory would be his.

**July 31, 1980**

**Seattle, Washington**

**07:00**

Connie wasn't all that happy. He had hoped to go see a Seattle Mariners baseball game. But, they were on the road; and today was a travel day for the team anyways. He still wondered why it took two days to get from Cleveland to Detroit; but then again Major League Baseball tended to do some crazy things when it came to scheduling games.

He spent the early morning walking along the piers along Puget Sound, enjoying the salty air. He looked out over the Sound lost in thought. The lack of a professional baseball game was just a minor irritant. No, what was really eating at him was his mission and being so far away from the woman he loved. He had wanted to look at each of Lily's visions in the months since James had ordered him and the rest of the Harbingers away from Britain…away from James and Lily and their unborn child. But, he when he opened the box containing the visions there had been a brief note telling him to wait until he had returned to Britain. He was feeling uneasy; almost like the world was holding its breath and that severe change was coming. Hell, he knew it was coming, James had told him so.

On top of that he missed Natasha, whose Harbinger codename was Victory. She was stuck in the Soviet Union while he was here, almost halfway around the world from her. If he hadn't received his orders that caused this, he may have actually asked her to marry him. But, life always did find a way to throw the kneazle into the works. So, he spent his days practicing his swordsmanship, practicing his martial arts, practicing his magic, and training his body. Today, he was taking off and resting, the walk allowed him to focus and clear his mind. He, also, considered playing his guitar later as it always helped him to relax.

Then, he felt it. It was an indescribable joy that came out of nowhere. And, he knew. The child had been born. A future Lord for him and the other Harbingers to protect was born. He smiled, but his smile faded as quickly as it came. The storm was coming, the storm that could make or break the Harbingers and House Potter.

**Hong Kong**

**23:00**

Lin Jiayi was looking out of her window at her parents' place in Hong Kong at the small garden outside. She was tall at 5' 5". She was muscular with well defined breasts that were a cup size larger than average. She, also, was as normal dressed in emerald green. She had forgone her normal veil, as she was not in her Harbingers persona. Her piercing brown, nearly black, eyes were filled with sadness. She sighed, remembering Connie telling her that every member of the Harbingers was to head to their respective homelands. She had been furious at the time.

_[Flashback]_

_She was standing there inside the safe house in a run-down suburb of London alone with Connie. The room in the safe house was sparse, with only some tables and chairs. Her veil was removed. She glared at Connie._

_"Why did you agree to these orders, Shadow?" she asked, turning Connie's codename into an epithet._

_"Because, Havoc," came Connie's steely reply, "our Lord ordered me to do so, __**despite**__ my objections. Believe me; I've vehemently objected to them moving to Godric's Hollow, ordering us out of the country, and ordering us to separate. He gave me an additional mission, which was part of the reason for the other orders."_

_"What mission is that?" she asked._

_"I am to protect someone very important, but I cannot say whom," Connie replied. "All I have is a minor description, no name nor address."_

_"They don't go easy on you, do they?" she questioned, softly. She realized that Connie hated this situation as much if not more than she did. She knew this particularly because these orders would separate him from Natasha._

_"No, they do not," was Connie's reply. "Good luck, Jiayi. Hopefully, we'll all be working together, again, soon."_

_"Good luck, Connie. I'm sorry about earlier," she replied. "I shouldn't have been so angry with you."_

_"It's okay," he smiled, "It's what I expected."_

_After that she left the safe house to prepare to head home._

_[/Flashback]_

She was shaking her head to clear it of the memories of that night, when she felt it. A joy so great it was indescribable spreading out from her heart. She knew the child had just been born.

**Leningrad, Soviet Union**

**18:00**

Natasha Ivanova was worried; she missed Connie and was all alone in the Soviet Union. Her parents did not like the fact that she was involved with an American. She was glad that they didn't know what her full relationship with Connie was or her involvement in the affairs of Wizarding Britain. Here she was sitting in the small apartment provided by the Communist government, and all she could do was think about the man she loved.

_[Flashback]_

_Her bow and tiara were lying nearby on the table in their room next to Connie's katana and wakazashi. Her white robe, white blouse, and white pants were draped over a chair. Meanwhile, the 20-year old was lying on the bed next to Connie, whom was fully dressed except for his duster, boots, and fedora. They were cuddling and caressing each other on their bed._

_"My love," she said, "do I have to return to Leningrad? It's a terrible place, and it will be most difficult to be there without you."_

_"I know, but we have to split up for now." Connie sighed, "At least until we know if what Lily saw, according to James, will come true. Our presence here can cause a great deal of damage for all of our futures, from what I've been told. And, if we were together, we'd both want to return here, at least at first. We might be able to find ways to spend time together, but not for the next year or so."_

_"Then, my love," she whispered seductively, while unbuttoning his shirt, "why don't we make the best of this night?"_

_Connie smiled wickedly, as he kissed her and started removing her bra. "I know exactly what to do to make this night one of the best for us."_

_[/Flashback]_

She was smiling now at the memories, the joy of the memory of their night of lovemaking suddenly being added to. She could feel it, the birth of a new future Lord Potter.

**Nigerian Coast near Lagos, Nigeria**

**16:00**

Abaeze Okafor stretched after he emptied his catch from his nets. As his family had done for centuries; he loved the traditional fishing along Nigeria's coast. Even though he did not need the fish, fishing helped keep his upper body fit. He'd run early in the mornings, and then fish until the late afternoon. After fishing, he'd eat a light meal and then practice with his staves. He thought back to the orders he was given to return to his homeland and sighed. He had been happy in Britain, even if it was during a time of great darkness.

_[Flashback]_

_The tall, thin Nigerian towered over his commanding officer, but held him in the highest regard. Connie, or Shadow, had done quite well for someone new to command and for one being so young. While being not much older than Shadow, Abaeze had experienced more combat which sadly included the tribal wars that flared from time to time throughout Africa. Now, as they all were, he was embroiled in what could be best described as the Civil War of Magical Britain, Voldemort's Death Eaters on one side, and the Ministry of Magic, the Order of the Phoenix, and Potter's Harbingers on the other. Now, he was receiving orders from his commanding officer._

_"Abaeze, you need to return home for the time being. Lord Potter has ordered me to order all the Harbingers to return to their homelands until things blow over here," Connie stated._

_"Why?" was Abaeze's shocked question._

_"Because, he has a mission for me to do alone and because he ordered us to." Connie replied. "That's all I can tell you now, Gaunt. I've already told Havoc, and later tonight, I'll tell Victory."_

_The use of the codenames meant that Connie was bringing his role of Shadow, Captain of the Harbingers, to bear. It also meant that he would brook no argument against the orders from Lord Potter. Abaeze sighed and bowed his head in acquiescence before giving Connie a farewell and leaving to prepare to return to Nigeria for an indefinite period._

_[/Flashback]_

He was brought out of his reverie when he felt joy. He could feel the joy spreading from his heart throughout his body, and he knew now. There was a future Lord Potter born to this world.

**Oct. 24, 1981**

**Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow**

Voldemort's and his Death Eater's attacks throughout Britain were getting worse. They had to add more protection to the cottage. It was the only way to protect Harry. James and Lily had finally consented to have Albus Dumbledore conduct the Fidelius Charm to prevent the cottage from being found by anyone that wasn't allied with them. They had also agreed not to use Sirius Black as their Secret Keeper as he would be too obvious. They had chosen Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail, as their Secret Keeper.

Today was the day that the cottage would be hidden from their enemies by the Fidelius Charm. Peter was already present and Albus would be arriving soon. Little did Peter and Albus know that this was the second step that James and Lily were taking in order to expose those that betrayed the Light to the Servants of Darkness. It was a necessary evil for James and Lily, to sacrifice their lives in order to protect the future. Yes, it would be years before all their enemies would be exposed and some of their friends and allies would suffer, including Harry. But for the sake of all, it had to be done.

James was worried for both Harry and Sirius. According to Lily's visions, they would suffer the most. Albus Dumbledore would be granted a temporary victory and temporary control over their son. But, the Harbingers and the girl that Lily had seen in her vision could turn things around quickly after the girl met Harry, even with all of the meddling that Albus would do to try to gain control over the Potter fortune and lands. It would take Albus decades to steal from their vaults in the meantime with all the laws and paperwork that needed to be filed even for him to transfer even a Knut from the Potter vaults to his own or his allies' vaults.

As they stood outside waiting for Albus to arrive as Harry slept upstairs; James hugged Lily close. Lily turned in his arms and kissed him. Their plans were in motion and there was no turning back now. She just hoped that Connie and the rest of the Harbingers would be able to help Harry as she had foreseen. Even though her visions had always been accurate, she still couldn't help but worry about the future.


	2. Chapter 1 Death and Betrayal

**[A/N] **Just a little more set up for the story. I know, I know, that's what the Prologue is for. But, this is where I start on the meat not the filler.

**[Disclaimer]** JK Rowling owns everything but the OCs and the storyline, although some of that is hers too. I just used it to help make the story more understandable, I hope.

**Harry Potter and the Harbingers**

**Chapter 1**

**Death and Betrayal**

**Oct. 31, 1981**

**Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow**

James, Lily, and 15-month old Harry were in the family room. James was reading and Lily was cradling Harry whom had been quite fussy for some reason. Suddenly, there was a loud chime, and James went pale in the face as he jumped from his chair. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off as long as I can!"

He ran towards the foyer to get his sword as his wand was upstairs. The sword would allow him to block even the Unforgivables. Connie had forged it and enchanted it with powerful runes and charms. If he could get to it in time, he'd be able to hold off almost anyone long enough for Lily to Apparate with Harry to someplace safe.

Lily ran to the stairs with Harry to pack as much of his toys and clothing as possible. Just as Lily reached the top of the stairs but before James could reach his sword; the front door exploded inward. James was knocked to the ground by concussion and was struggling to his feet as Voldemort swept into the room. Seeing James weaponless and unbalanced, Voldemort smiled evilly. "Avada Kedavra!" shouted Voldemort shooting a green beam of light out of his wand that struck James in the chest snuffing out his life. Voldemort let out an insane cackle as he gloated over the death of one of his staunchest enemies, before turning to the stairs.

Smirking, Voldemort strode up the stairs. Once he got to the top of the stairs he kicked open every door he came across looking for the boy and Lily. He found them in a nursery, and smiled while Lily began begging while trying to block him from the crib.

"No, not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily pleaded.

"Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…." snarled Voldemort.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead." begged Lily. "Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…."

"ENOUGH!" Voldemort raged. "Avada Kedavra!"

Green light struck Lily Potter down, leaving only the child in the crib. Voldemort smiled evilly as he saw the boy standing and watching him.

"Time to die, Harry Potter," he growled as he raised his wand to the boys face. "Avada Kedavra!"

Sirius Black raced to get to Potter Cottage. Peter was not in his hideout and everything looked too peaceful for there to have been a struggle. Cold fear gripped his heart as he knew his worst fears had been realized. Peter had betrayed them all to Voldemort and had been doing so for a while. All the Order knew that someone had been spying for Voldemort for the past year; they just did not know whom. Now, Sirius was racing against time, because Peter had probably already told Voldemort the secret of James and Lily's location.

He reached the cottage and saw the roof of the building had been blown out. He was too late. He ran into the ruins and saw James lying on the floor. He already knew James was dead; Voldemort wouldn't have left any of them alive. He ran up the stairs and saw the blown off door to the nursery. He ran through the doorway and saw Lily's lifeless body on the ground. Tears were coming unbidden to his eyes, when he saw that Lily's and James' son was in the crib staring at him. Harry was alive! There was still hope.

Sirius grabbed the boy and bundled him in a blanket. It seemed odd to Sirius that the child showed no signed of crying or having cried at all. "Harry," Sirius gently spoke, "you're safe now. I'll give you to someone to protect and nurture you while I hunt down your parents' betrayer."

Something was puzzling Sirius. Why were there no signs of Voldemort or his Death Eaters other than the bodies of Lily and James and the destruction of the cottage? He looked around trying to determine if this was some sort of trap to pull in the allies of the Potters. Warily he carried the boy down the stairs and saw Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore entering the ruins.

"They're dead, Professor! Voldemort killed them!" Sirius yelled, and still Harry did not cry or fuss.

Albus sighed and feigned a look of defeat, "I know, Sirius. Rubeus take Harry and wait outside. I need to pass on some information to Sirius, and I would like to see that Harry is not exposed any further to the horror that has occurred here."

"Yes, Perfessor." Hagrid stated as he reluctantly took Harry from the arms of Sirius. Sirius could see that Hagrid was fighting back the tears that threatened to turn into full blown sobs. Hagrid loved James and Lily, and already had a soft spot for Harry. Hagrid left the cottage just as the first sobs started breaking through.

"Okay, Professor, what did you want to tell me?" Sirius growled.

"Sirius, I believe that Peter Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily. I, also, believe that he is currently in or headed to London to hide from you in case you sought revenge." Dumbledore confessed.

Sirius looked at Dumbledore warily before saying, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, you are the best one to find him," Albus stated. "You know how he thinks. You know his secrets. You want to see that he is brought back for justice. You want him to pay for his betrayals. And, you want to redeem yourself for your own failings in regards to James, Lily, and Harry."

"You know I do. I blame myself, because I suggested that they use Peter as their Secret-Keeper. Remus or I would have been the obvious choices. I believed no one would suspect Peter. I should never have suggested that to them. If I had been the Secret-Keeper, they'd be alive now," Sirius almost cried in his rage and remorse.

Dumbledore hid a smirk. "But now, Sirius, you can redeem yourself and exact vengeance for their loss. I suggest that you go now and find Peter. We'll need him so we can find out how deep his betrayal is."

"Yes, Professor, I'll go find him now. And, if he resists, I'll tear him to little pieces," Sirius snarled before leaving.

Dumbledore smiled and headed out to have Hagrid take the child in a roundabout way to Lily's relatives. They would break him and he'd rebuild Harry into the perfect suicidal weapon and be rid of those damn Potters and their Harbingers once and for all.

**Seattle, Washington**

Connie was at his parents' house in their private dojo. He had bowed and honored his ancestors in the private shrine as was tradition. Now, he kneeled on the tatami mat with his katana, still sheathed, lying across his thighs. His head was bowed with his eyes closed in meditation as he focused himself for the sword practice that was to come. While he would not be sparring at all, he would be using the various powers contained in the runes covering the sword. Plus, he would be using his skills as if he were fighting unseen opponents.

He raised his katana off his thighs and unsheathed it. He, then, raised it over his head and swung it in a tight circle just above his head before jabbing the tip into the floor in front of him. As he jabbed the sword into the ground he activated a rune on the sword just by concentrating on it. This rune caused a dome to shimmer into existence around and above him. He smiled as the shield was activated and once it was formed, he ran his left thumb over the rune all without opening his eyes. As his thumb rubbed the rune, the shield winked out of existence.

He suddenly stood and swung the katana in an upwards arc as if trying to slice an opponent's arm off. He snapped off a quick roundhouse kick, followed by a swift slice at where a person's head might be located. He jumped back as if dodging a retaliatory strike and quickly brought his sword slicing down through the air. This was followed by a dive to the side and quick roll where he brought the katana up in a move to block a downward cut by a sword. He shoved upwards with the katana and was quickly on his feet. As he sliced the sword across the belly of his unseen opponent, he staggered from some unseen force.

"NO!" Connie gasped. He felt the loss of both Lily and James, and he knew all the current Harbingers could feel their loss too. He, also, knew that his father would feel their loss and would probably confront him in a few minutes. However, he felt the bond reestablish itself, which meant that Harry was still alive. He still had a Lord to serve. But, this also meant that his mission was active now. He'd have to return to Britain to guide his new Lord and his future Lady and protect them both. He smiled grimly…Potter's Harbingers were back in business.

A few minutes after he started to try to center his concentration again, his father stepped into the dojo. Connie's father, Sebastian LeBrock, was an imposing man. He stood about six foot even, and walked, or more aptly, stalked quietly like a predator. His black hair was closely cropped almost like he was a former United States Marine. His square jaw was clenched in rage. He was furious with his son and his failure to protect the Potters. What Sebastian did not realize is that his son not only knew this already, but was completely prepared for the onslaught.

"CONSTANTINE!" Sebastian roared. "Why did you tell me you were granted leave? Why did you tell me that the Potters were safe? THEY'RE DEAD!"

Connie stood and whirled around to face his face in a single smooth move. "I know they're dead. I told you the truth about being granted leave, except for the fact that I WAS ORDERED TO TAKE IT!" Connie's voice did not rise above a whisper, but the barely controlled rage was quite evident. "I objected to the order that Lord James Potter gave me. I begged and pleaded with him to let us stay and protect him and Lady Lily. I did EVERYTHING I could think of to convince him to allow the Harbingers to do their duty. And, at every turn he threw it into my face that Lily had seen what would happen. They went into this KNOWING they would die, and that I would, at least, feel all the guilt for listening to them. But, you know as well as I do that our first duty is to obey them. You lead the Harbingers for a time, and you know the oaths."

Sebastian was taken aback by the fury contained in his son's voice. He could tell that the fury was due to feeling helpless. "I'm sorry, Connie. I should have realized that you wouldn't have been here had you not been ordered away. Why did they order you to leave? Where are the others?"

Connie sighed, "The others are in their homelands, including Natasha. We were ordered away to expose those seeking to betray the Potters. Too many of them were working in secret and would have remained hidden had we not left. Now, I and the others can work on exposing them and exposing their deeds. However, it won't be easy, as I have a two-fold mission in addition to exposing the enemies of the Potters."

"What is this mission?" Sebastian asked.

"To guide and protect the future Lord and Lady Potter," Connie calmly stated. "They are both alive, but Lord Potter's life will be hard. I believe I can check in on him from time to time to ease his burdens; but it will be rare for me to do so. My main task, though, is to protect and guide the future Lady Potter. This is most important after they meet. From what I can deduct from my last conversation with Lord James, I believe Lord Harry will be surrounded by danger and that danger will inevitably extend towards the future Lady Potter."

"And do you know who this future Lady Potter is?" Sebastian queried.

"No, but I can feel her like you felt Lady Lily, father. Plus, I have additional help from Lady Lily in regards to tracking her down and knowing when she might need my full protection. I was given Lady Lily's visions and a pensieve to view them," Connie replied. "Now, whether I have all of the visions that I need, or not, I do not know. I know I will have to be most vigilant until they are both as safe as they can be."

"Is that why you have been training so often, to prepare for defending the new Lord and Lady Potter?" Sebastian asked. "Your mother says that you have barely left the dojo in the past few days."

"No, I've been training because I have been having very bad feelings until just now. I needed to vent out my frustrations and helplessness so I could actually begin to prepare to do what I have been ordered to do." Connie gave his father a grim smile. "But, I could use a partner to train with. However, tomorrow, I need to make arrangements to return to Britain. Hopefully, I can get back sooner than later. I cannot start viewing Lady Lily's visions until I return to Britain, as that is what I was ordered to do."

"Will you recall the Harbingers?" Sebastian asked as he went to the wall opposite the shrine. He slid a panel back revealing several different swords hanging from the wall behind the panel. Looking at the swords, he removed an English Broadsword from its spot before replacing the panel, and turning to his son.

"I will recall them once I have viewed a few of the visions, just in case Lily and James have given me further instructions. I do not want to risk any sort of disobedience of their orders and I believe I need to know more about what we are facing. I will recall them when the time is right, father. You know this." Connie bowed to his father as he finished his reply.

"That is a very wise course, Connie. Now, let's see if you still are as good as I taught you." Sebastian smiled as he swung his sword at Connie's head.

Connie easily blocked it with his katana and they proceeded to exchange sword blows, each trying to knock the other off balance seeking an opening to disarm or strike the body of the other. They were equally matched with skill and experience and the fight looked more like an intricate dance than an actual fight. As they dueled, each of them started throwing in martial arts to gain some sort of advantage. Leg sweeps, roundhouse kicks, even a hand strike here and there added to the complexity of the dance. After what seemed to be hours, Sebastian started feeling tired and sore. His son was in much better physical condition due to his continued training while waiting for this day to come, while Sebastian had been fairly lax in continuing his own physical training.

Sebastian, since relinquishing the Harbingers to his son's leadership, had been working on maintaining and increasing the Potter's fortunes and political influence. While he did not have the proxy for the Potter's Wizengamot votes, he did have the means as an advisor to guide those that did have the proxy and those that were allied with House Potter. With the death of James and Lily, all he'd be able to do would be helping the Goblins properly invest the Potter fortune until Harry came of age.

He, the Goblins, and the Wizengamot all had copies of the official Wills of James and Lily; but it would be the Will in the possession of the Wizengamot that would be executed until the Potter family vaults were accessed by Harry. At that time, the will inside the vault would become the official Last Will and Testament of the Potters and all other versions would be nullified. If a fake Will had been executed in the mean time, those that benefitted that weren't would be forced to repay or return any items or else they could be severely punished. It was the law of magical Britain since the time of Arthur Pendragon and no other law could override it until and unless a new King was crowned over magical Britain.

But, now, he was more concerned about his son's sword strike which had nearly connected with his neck before he had barely blocked it. His own thoughts were starting to distract him due his exhaustion, and he wasn't paying enough attention as Connie swept his legs out from underneath him. He landed heavily on his back and his Broadsword skittered away from his hands when he landed. Before he could recover, Connie's katana was pressed lightly against his neck. He had no choice but to surrender.

Connie shook his head and smiled at his father, "Getting slow in your old age, dad?"

"No, more like forgetting Alastor Moody's advice of 'CONSTANT VIGILENCE!' I actually allowed myself to be distracted due to not being as fit as I once was. You won, because you had more stamina and concentration than I did," Sebastian laughed ruefully.

"Dad, how can I continue to look up to you, when you start being lazy?" Connie asked while smirking and dodging a playful swat by his dad.

"I'm still your elder; you're supposed to respect me!" Sebastian retorted as he went to put the Broadsword away. "I'm going to have to tell your mother that we didn't do a good enough job raising you. Then, we'll both be grounded for life…you, for not being respectful to your elders…me, for questioning her parenting skills and forgetting my own role or lack thereof in the raising of you."

With that they both laughed and hugged each other before leaving the dojo to head to the kitchen to get something to drink and a small meal. However, the brief moment of levity was gone as the realities of what they had to do came crashing down upon them. Connie would be making his arrangements to return to Britain, and Sebastian would be trying to find out what the Potter Will in the possession of the Wizengamot would say about the beneficiaries of the Will and the guardianship for Harry Potter.

**November 1, 1981**

**Outside #4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

The tabby cat that had been hanging around the Dursley's home was no longer there. In its place was a severe looking woman, wearing square glasses, wearing an emerald cloak, and had her black hair drawn into a tight bun. Next to her on the wall was the tall, thin, very old man wearing half-moon spectacles with long silver hair and a long silver beard. This man was Albus Dumbledore.

"Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall." He smiled at her.

"Is it true?" She asked, "is You-Know-Who really gone?"

"Please, Minerva, say his name, Voldemort. There is no reason to fear his name." Albus gently chided her.

"Alright, fine. Is V…Vol…Voldemort really gone? Did he really attack the Potters in Godric's Hollow?" She asked again.

"Yes, Minerva, he did attack the Potters in Godric's Hollow. But, is he truly gone? I cannot say. But, at the very least, he is gone for a time. Whether it will be one day, one week, one month, one year, one lifetime, or forever, that is quite debatable." He replied quite calmly.

"What do you mean?" Minerva questioned.

"I mean that he is at the very least hiding, because something happened for him that went terribly wrong. He killed James and Lily, but young Harry was able to defeat him somehow. To what extent that defeat was, we cannot even begin to guess; since only Harry witnessed it. And, he is too young to describe what happened and probably will not remember it at all in the future." Dumbledore sighed, since his original plans for the utter destruction of House Potter had failed. Now, he'd have to go to 'Plan B' as they say.

"So, Harry is alive? Then, who will raise him?" she asked.

"The Muggles that live here will raise him; they are his closest living relatives." Albus explained.

"These Muggles will raise him? When Hagrid told me that you'd be here, I didn't know that you were planning on having these Muggles raise him. I have been observing them all day, while waiting for you to find out what has been actually going on. They are the worst sort of Muggles I have ever seen. Leaving him here could kill him! They don't take anything that isn't in their routines well and overindulge the child they already have. Based on those two things and the fact that Petunia had a deep jealousy of Lily, it is quite conceivable that they would be abusive towards Harry. We cannot allow that, Albus." Minerva protested.

"I wish there was some other way, Minerva; but there isn't any. He needs to be raised by blood relations, particularly from his mother's side, in order to reinforce the protections given him by his mother when she died." Dumbledore vehemently retorted. "Anyways, Hagrid should be here soon with Harry. Then, we can get all this unpleasantness over and done with, and get on with doing our jobs while Harry is taken care of."

"Albus, you act like you don't even care about him. He saved our world! He deserves respect and love, not more pain and suffering! He lost his family and needs to be raised in a loving environment while being taught how to use the magic that flows through his veins." She said, once again trying to convince Dumbledore to change his mind.

Dumbledore shook his head, feigning sadness. "I'm sorry, Minerva, there is no other choice.

Before Minerva could protest further, the sound of a loud motorcycle engine ripped through the air. As both Albus and Minerva looked towards the sound, a huge black motorcycle crashed down to the ground in front of them. The rider was the huge man, known as Hagrid. In his arms, he carried a bundled blanket. Within that blanket, was the sleeping form of the raven-haired, green-eyed boy, with a lightning bolt shaped scar, known as Harry Potter.

"Hagrid, where did you get the motorcycle?" Dumbledore asked the half-giant.

"Young Sirius Black lent it to me, sir." Hagrid stated as he climbed carefully off of the motorcycle, being even more careful not to disturb the boy in his arms. "Here he is, sir, safe and sound as you asked."

Dumbledore took the boy gently from Hagrid's arms and placed him in a basket he had conjured up beside the door to #4 Privet Drive. Inside the basket, he placed a letter addressed to Petunia and Vernon Dursley. "Good luck, Harry," Dumbledore said to the little boy, before turning to Minerva and Hagrid.

Hagrid wept for a time, before leaving on the motorcycle. After Hagrid left, Dumbledore turned to Minerva and focusing on her objections and worries; he pointed his wand at her and exclaimed, "Obliviate!" Then, he carefully replaced the memories of her objections and worries about Harry with memories that were a little concerned but not overly so, just in case.

**November 2, 1981**

**Near London Bridge Station**

_"I've got you now,"_ thought Sirius Black as he neared the rat-like being known as Peter Pettigrew on the street. _"You'll pay for betraying James and Lily, Peter. I'll see to it myself"_

However, Peter had seen Sirius and decided to put his plan to hide in motion. "Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?" Peter sobbed as he silently cast the spell that would bring the wrath of the Ministry down upon Sirius.

Before Sirius could react, the street exploded. Then, there was the pops of wizards Apparating, and all he could do was laugh at the irony as he gazed on the blood-soaked robes Peter had once worn. The damn rat had betrayed Lily and James and now had betrayed him as well by faking his own death.

Cornelius Fudge smiled grimly. He was leading the twenty man squad tasked with capturing the man that betrayed the Potters. And, now, that man had killed another of his so-called friends and many Muggles as well. There was no doubt in his mind that Sirius Black would go to Azkaban and die there. Plus, the capture of Black would really look good on his resume. Soon, he'd no longer be a Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes. He'd really have to thank Albus Dumbledore for the tip that Sirius Black would be heading to London to kill Peter Pettigrew.

He raised his wand and pointed it towards Sirius. "Drop your wand, Black. You're under arrest for the murders of Lily and James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and many Muggles."

Sirius complied still laughing at the irony of his situation.

"I don't think this is a laughing matter, Black. Your dark master is gone, and all you've done is put yourself into Azkaban for life at the very least." Fudge gloated.

Sirius snorted as his laughter subsided. "I give up." He, then, thought, _"If only you fools would even look into the truth of the matter, but you are all lazy and will look at only what you see. I know I am innocent, but I cannot prove it. And, I know you bastards will ignore my rights, but one day the truth will out."_


	3. Chapter 2 Visions and Redemption

**[A/N]** Here we go, chapter 2. Please Read and Review. And, please don't squeeze the Charmin. Next chapter will have one or maybe two main canon characters introduced, and will skip a little bit in terms of time. And, they feasted on the birds and the breads and the breakfast cereals and... Skip a little bit, brother. And he said Oh, God! Bless this thy Hand Grenade of Antioch so thy enemies shall snuff it...

**[Disclaimer] **I own nothing other than plot and OCs. JK Rowling owns everything else.

**Harry Potter and the Harbingers**

**Chapter 2**

**Visions and Redemption**

**November 2, 1981**

**London Bridge Station**

Connie had just finished stretching after leaving the lavatory and was about to leave the station to head to his flat. While he was in the lavatory, he had summoned his katana and wakazashi from his parents' home. The runes and charms on both of them allowed him to summon them from anywhere in the world. He had spent a long time forging them, placing the runes that littered both blades, and then polishing them in the traditional Japanese fashion. He actually somewhat hated travelling, due to not having his two favorite weapons on him. However, he was still able to carry his wand while travelling as that was undetectable since it was wood.

Truth was he was quite lucky to get the tickets to return to England so soon. He had to switch planes in New York, but had a direct flight there and an hour layover. Combine the four and three-quarters hour flight with the hour layover, the seven hour flight from New York to Gatwick, and the thirty minute train ride from Gatwick to London Bridge Station; it had been a very, very long day, actually, night as his flights were red-eyes. He was actually looking forward to taking a long hot shower and a nap; but he still had pressing things to do.

A nearby explosion caused people to scramble in panic as he was exiting the station. He moved quickly in the direction of the explosion. He pressed through the gathering crowd to glimpse Sirius Black being handled roughly by the Aurors from the DMLE. _"Now what?" _he thought, when he heard some Aurors talking about how easy it was to capture the traitor and murderer, whom didn't even try to fight or flee and acted guilty. Having known Sirius, Connie knew that if Sirius was guilty the Aurors would never have had a chance to catch him. So, either Sirius had been set up, or the Aurors were quite mistaken, or both.

_"Great…another project for me. I am going to have to investigate what happened here. But, before I can do that, I'll have to check Lily's visions to see if she had foreseen this and has any instructions for me." _Connie thought. This was turning out to be a REALLY bad week. But, hopefully, it would get better, depending on Lily's visions and any instructions he had received.

After determining that there was nothing he could do to help Sirius at the moment, Connie walked towards the building where his flat was located. There were a lot of memories in that flat, particularly ones concerning one Natasha Ivanova. He smiled, hoping that soon he could contact her and bring her back. He really missed her.

Once he got to the dull red-bricked complex where his flat was located, he climbed the stairs to the second floor where his flat was. He opened the door sensing that no one else had passed the wards and entered the flat. It was a single bedroom flat with a kitchen, living area combined with dining area, a bathroom, and a highly warded training area created by different charms and enchantments. With a quick "Scourgify," Connie cleaned the flat of all the dust. He set up the pensieve so he could start viewing the vials of Lily's visions and instructions contained in the wooden box that stored those vials. He made sure both were on him at all times, just in case someone had tried to break into this flat or into his parents' home in Seattle while he had been visiting there the past year and eight months.

Opening the box, he carefully lifted each of the vials containing Lily's memory strands. The first vial he pulled out was labeled "_Soul-bonding revealed: DO NOT VIEW FIRST! Find the vial labeled 'Instructions for Connie,' it's located on your left at the front, you ninny._" He sighed and pulled out the vial labeled "_Instructions for Connie_" which was located on the left-most side in the front row, Connie just shook his head before opening it and pouring the silvery contents into the pensieve. He stirred the silvery substance around the bowl of the pensieve with his finger before sticking his head into it and being sucked into the memory.

_[Pensieve Content]_

_Connie found himself in what looked to be the Library at Potter Manor, he snorted at his own disbelief. Why should he be disbelieving that the memory would take place in the Library of the Manor? It made sense in an odd way, why shouldn't he be in the Library where he was given the pensieve he was now in?_

_He turned around when he heard a familiar female voice say, "Hello Connie. Don't be too surprised, remember I am a Seer. If you thought that pensieves could only be used for memories, you'd be quite wrong. They can be used to show people active thought as well as memories of events and actions. This is not a memory per se, but is an active thought of my own that you need to see and hear before you can do what needs to be done. This thought can interact with you and explain the visions and answer your questions. Each vial of my visions will contain some sort of instruction for you to help guide you, when possible."_

"_Hello, Lily. Why are you telling me this? Why do I need to know how a pensieve works?" he asked the red-haired, emerald-eyed, but currently deceased Lady Potter._

"_Connie, some things in the visions may not be revealed to you from time to time. They could be of very personal content, or could make you act irrationally and hastily, which could really be detrimental to Harry, his intended, and his future. James and I want what is best for Harry and for his happiness. The problem is that in order to insure his future happiness, we've had to sacrifice some of his happiness and to sacrifice another person's freedom," Lily replied._

"_Sirius Black," Connie stated, while nodding soberly._

"_Yes, you saw him get arrested, didn't you?" even though it was phrased as a question, Connie knew it was a statement._

"_Yes, I did. Supposedly, he betrayed you and James to Voldemort and killed Peter and a bunch of Muggles by causing a massive explosion. I actually don't believe it, since he surrendered to the Aurors without a fight. If he was guilty, then he would have fought for freedom or until he was dead. Instead, he just stood there laughing as if he had gone insane, or at least that was what a couple Aurors had talked about as he was being led off. I do need to find out what happened, but I believe that he will be convicted on the evidence," he stated emotionlessly. "They said that they only found a finger that looked like Peter's."_

"_He won't be convicted, in fact, he won't even be tried. The Ministry will say there is overwhelming evidence without realizing one thing: Peter Pettigrew could have cut off his finger and disappeared, faking his death. Truth be told, that is EXACTLY what he did. He cut his finger off and transformed into his rat form due to being an unregistered animagus. But, sadly, it will be years before you can prove this to the Ministry of Magic. They will bury their heads in the sand and won't pull their heads out unless and until they have no other choice," Lily replied. "Be patient, Connie, doubly so where Harry is concerned."_

"_What do you mean?" Connie asked._

"_Harry has been placed in a household that will be severely abusive to him. You may help him by secretly healing him, but you cannot kill or harm those whom are raising him. Sadly, the people raising him are my sister and her husband. They, also, have a son whom they will spoil rotten and will deflect blame for his actions onto Harry to use as part of the excuses to abuse him," Lily almost sobbed, fighting back the tears that threatened to break free from her eyes. "They will view my son as a burden and as someone being different and deserving of nothing, despite the fact that they are just as different and deserving of even less. Sadly, this must be allowed to happen, just as the deaths of James and I had to happen, until Harry can come into his inheritance. If not, Dumbledore would kill him outright. Once Harry comes of age, or can be emancipated; then he would become something far greater than he is now. This would allow him to turn the wizarding world on its head and make Dumbledore's life very uncomfortable as well as giving you and the Harbingers almost free reign to deal out justice."_

"_What is this something?" Connie inquired._

_"That, you'll have to wait to find out. However, you will have to do some research to find the answer. The truth is that you will have to get the journals of your ancestors to find out the answers to that question and to the vial you first pulled out of the box before you are able to view it. Although, I do believe you'll be able to view that vial in a few more years just as you find out the answers to both questions." Lily smirked._

_"Great, I'll have to ask my father for access to those journals. That won't be an easy thing to do. My family has a prophecy concerning some of the information contained in those journals, so they are rarely allowed out of the vaults they are stored in. There is a great deal of fear of unnecessarily activating the prophecy by allowing them out. What should I tell my father about the need for me to look at them?" Connie spoke in a barely audible whisper._

_"You should tell him the truth, that the prophecy based on the content of those journals is nigh and that __**you **__have to prepare for fulfilling your duties associated with that prophecy, Connie," she stated. "You will be the one that that prophecy surrounds. And, yes, it is a dangerous road that you must walk on. Be careful, and everything will turn out fine. Now, there are a few things you must do before you start your research."_

_Connie looked at Lily in shock. "You are telling me that I am the one that is to help restore the Kingdom? Does that mean that Harry is the one we have been waiting for all this time? How soon will we be revealing ourselves to the world as to what we are?"_

_Lily shook her head, silently berating herself for revealing too much information. She could not allow Connie to act on this information, not yet at least. So, she said, "At some point, you will. Whether Harry is the one you will aid is not yet determined. When the time is right is all I can tell you about when you will reveal what you really are. While certain events are set, the timing of those events is always in flux as are the extent and consequences of those events. Our choices and actions always determine what happens in our lives, and sometimes have quite a wide ripple effect on the world at large. Even if the choice seems to be relatively minor. Always tread with caution, Connie; otherwise, you might proceed hastily when you need to learn the facts first. In this case, you need to take the time to learn everything you can, for not all is as it seems to be."_

_"Why can't things be simple?" Connie asked plaintively._

_"Because, life is not simple, Connie," she spoke. "In fact, things will be even more complicated for you soon. You will need to talk to Severus Snape and get him on your side and particularly on Harry's side. Harry will need someone trustworthy to watch over him and his future wife when he and she attend Hogwarts. Severus is already torn between two masters though. His guilt has caused him to betray the one master to the other; but he does not realize that he has traded one evil for another. You must help him to see the true path to redemption for himself. And, you cannot kill him despite him having taken the mark of his first master. Yes, he has done cruel things. And, according to the laws, both ancient and modern, those things he has done, are nigh on unforgivable."_

"_If it as you say, how am I to get him working with us; since at some point, I may have to kill him?" Connie asked calmly._

"_All you have to do is tell him that I forgive him and ask him to do this for me. He has always loved me, but never realized that my path was set out for me. All the years that I rejected James were out of rebellion for what I felt was the elimination of my freedom. If I had realized sooner how free I really would be after giving in to my destiny, maybe James and Severus could have been friends." Lily sighed._

"_Lily, that's a "what might have been" and cannot be changed as that is in the past. Who knows, it actually might be more of a "what would never be," since they were in rival houses that do not get along at Hogwarts. But, I will do as you say and try to get him working with us. It will definitely give us an advantage against both of our primary enemies," Connie replied. "Is there anything else you need me to do, and should I bring in the others to work to find information to clear Sirius?"_

"_Yes, you can ask Harry to forgive me and James, particularly me. I did or will have done something stupid the night we died; but it was or will have been on purpose," she spoke. "I packed things for him, when James told me to flee with Harry. If I had done as James said, then Voldemort would still have his body. But, for Harry to succeed in ridding the world completely of Voldemort, Harry has to grow up similar to that evil man. Harry must understand both his enemies, if he is to be who he is meant to be. But, that cannot come from growing up being given everything; he has to face many hardships. Because, his life as he goes to school will be filled with dangers that only through hardship can be overcome. I know you and the others will be there for him. But, even so, you may not be able to reach him in time; even with your special abilities. And, yes, you can recall the others and have them help you. You will need their help to clear Sirius, and even perhaps rescue him from Azkaban."_

"_I think it is about time for me to exit the pensieve. What is the next vision or instruction set that I need to look at?" Connie asked._

"_You need to look at the next bottle in the front row, but not until after you talk to Severus. And, you may show the others your memories of what was spoken here. I don't think it would be a good idea having them interact directly with me, as you are the one I must instruct. If there are any visions that are meant for another, they will be labeled explicitly as being for that person. Good luck, Connie," Lily said just before she faded and he felt himself returning to his flat._

_[/Pensieve Content]_

He immediately sat down and thought over what he had just been told and what he had to do. First thing first though, he needed to call his father to get the family journals. Then, he'd need to contact the other Harbingers and have them returned to Britain. Finally, he'd have to find and accost Severus Snape in order to convince him to join up to spy on both his masters and help with Harry. He got up and walked over to the telephone on the wall by the kitchen area. Taking the receiver off of the cradle, he dialed his father's phone number.

"Hello, Dad," he said. "Yes, I got home fine. I need to ask you for something. Dad, I need the journals of our ancestors. Yes, the time of the prophecy is near. Yes, I have been told that I will fulfill that role, though when is still up in the air. Not sure about Harry, though, Dad. There is still time, I believe. But it is best if we prepare for all eventualities. Yes, I am going to recall the others, as soon as I get off the phone with you. Take care Dad, and I will do my best to take care of myself and Natasha. Bye, Dad."

He hung up the phone and began dialing the number to Natasha's home in the Soviet Union. He spoke two words to her, "Go home," before hanging up. He, then, did the same with Jiayi and Abaeze. Once done, he headed out of the flat to go to Diagon Alley; he needed to go to the offices of _The Daily Prophet_. Once there, he'd start to try to find information on Severus Snape's whereabouts.

**November 8, 1981**

**Hogsmeade**

Professor Severus Snape had just Apparated into Hogsmeade and was heading towards Hogwarts with his cape billowing behind him in his trademark pattern. It was late afternoon and he needed to get some paperwork done before he taught the first of his Monday classes. Friday's classes had been almost a nightmare; those dreaded Gryffindors had really made a mess of things. They couldn't brew anything right even with the clearest instructions. Plus, they always mocked him just as James, Sirius, and Remus did while they were in school. They would call him "Snivellus" or "greasy-haired git"

At least that wimpy rat, Peter Pettigrew, was dead. His betrayal of the Potters, while getting rid of those good for nothings James Potter and Sirius Black, had killed the only light in his miserable existence, Lily Evans. Severus would never call her Lily Potter, because of the Marauders, as they called themselves, constantly heaping more misery on his life. Could they not see that he was the way he was due to the cruelty he suffered every day of his pathetic life? Lily had, until the day he screwed it all up and called her "Mudblood." That had destroyed her respect of him, all she did was try to help him and in a fit of pride; he had burned the only bridge he cared about.

When he had heard of the prophecy, he had no idea whom it was about. Now, he knew that it wasn't a complete prophecy he'd heard. It was only part of it, and in so doing sealed the fates of James, Lily, Lord Voldemort, and Harry Potter. Damn that boy for being famous just for surviving. He'd probably live a life of luxury and come into Hogwarts completely spoiled and full of himself. He'd probably have no respect for anyone that was his equal or in a position of authority. All his life, everything will probably be given to him and he would never have to do anything to earn a living.

Severus was so caught up in his self-loathing and trying to project it upon a child he had never met that he didn't notice that he had passed a man in a black duster with his face hidden by a black fedora. Of course, the man was hidden in the shadows between two buildings, and had cast a powerful notice-me-not charm just so he could catch his quarry at unawares. Severus didn't notice when the man walked out of the shadows and into the street, until he spoke.

"Severus, or should I say Professor Snape, we need to talk; but not here. Follow me," the man said, in a voice he hadn't heard since a couple of years earlier. That voice sent a shiver of fear up his spine; it was like someone had just walked on his grave.

"What do we need to talk about?" Severus sneered.

"As I said, not here. Too many ears. We need to speak in private. And, the subject we need to talk about is you, Severus," the man said. "Come on, neither of us have all that much time, so we have to stop wasting it."

Severus acquiesced and followed the man to the place where his string of betrayals started over a year earlier. After they entered the Hog's Head Inn, the man led him up to the second floor door that he had overheard the prophecy that made him fully enter his personal hell.

"In here, I'll make sure we have some privacy to talk," the man said just before entering the room. After Severus entered, the man cast several charms for privacy and to prevent them from being overheard.

"Now, what is all of this about," Severus snapped at the man. "And, just who are you?"

The man chuckled softly as he removed the fedora from his head facing away from Severus. "My name is Constantine LeBrock, Professor. And, I am here to offer you a chance at absolution."

Severus took a shocked step backwards. "Wha…What do you mean, absolution?" he sputtered.

"I mean forgiveness for yourself for putting yourself into your personal hell by helping those that really need and could use your help. Sadly, this will put you at odds with both of your current masters," the man, Constantine, said as he turned around.

Severus glowered at Constantine and snarled, "What do you mean by 'at odds with both of my current masters'? I am my own master."

Constantine laughed, "If you think you are currently your own master, then you are a bigger fool than Lily thought you were after you insulted her."

That brought Severus up short, this man, Constantine, knew. Constantine knew everything, his betrayal of Lily, his swearing of allegiance to Voldemort, his subsequent swearing of allegiance to Dumbledore, and the suffering he felt from all of it. How did this Constantine know? How did he know Lily?

"Ah, you are wondering how I know so much about you, Severus," Constantine was chuckling again; but this time it was a menacing chuckle as his burning brown eyes looked deep into Snape's soul. "It's quite simple, really. I serve the Potters. I am the Captain of the Harbingers. I am the last living thing that many of the enemies of House Potter see before they die. I am Death's Shadow, Shadow of Death, or, simply put, Shadow. I am the judge, the jury, and the executioner of the wicked. And, if I was here to kill you, you'd be dead already. As I said earlier, I am here to offer you a chance at absolution. Sadly, I cannot guarantee it; because it is mainly up to you to take it. And, whether you take it and succeed at it is really up to you. The first, and hardest, step is to forgive yourself for all of your self-perceived and actual crimes."

"What do you mean by 'my self-perceived and actual crimes' and that I have to forgive myself for them?" an even paler and shaken Severus asked quietly in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I mean your perceived betrayal of Lily Potter by telling Voldemort of the piece of the prophecy that you overheard spoken in this very room, while you stood outside the door spying on Albus Dumbledore. I mean your insulting Lily by calling her a 'Mudblood.' I mean your hatred of James Potter for being a git towards you while you both attended Hogwarts and for saving you from a nasty and dangerous prank played on you by Sirius Black. I mean your betrayal of Voldemort by telling Dumbledore of Voldemort's plan to attack the Potters. I mean your hatred of yourself for growing up the way you did and all the actions you took because of it," Constantine said sadly. "The really sad part of it is that you continually betray yourself in your actions to try to make up for what you have done. You told Albus Dumbledore what Voldemort was planning to do, and swore your allegiance to him. Yet, you never questioned why very little was done to protect James, Lily, and their child. The truth is that you keep choosing Dark Lords to align yourself with. Both Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort are interested in consolidating power and wealth for themselves without caring who gets hurt along the way."

Severus was shocked once again. He'd been serving TWO Dark Lords? He asked, trembling with remorse, "What do you need me to do?"

"Simple, really, you need to swear to serve and guide Harry James Potter and his intended for the rest of your life or until he releases you. Only when you have finished serving him can you be truly absolved of your sins," Constantine smiled grimly. "The path won't be easy, and you will have to spy on both your masters."

Severus suddenly realized something. Constantine was talking as if Voldemort wasn't really dead. "You speak as if Voldemort was not dead, Constantine," he stated.

"That's because he isn't, Severus. Voldemort's body was destroyed, but his spirit remains. There are Dark Rites that can be used to restore the body to a spirit. But, only if someone knows them and has someone willing to sacrifice their own body parts for these rites can they succeed," Constantine spoke.

Severus sagged a bit as he thought things over. Could he betray his masters by serving a third? He realized he could, if he was working for what was best for everyone. "Okay, I'll do it. I am too tired of just betraying people," Severus admitted, "Constantine, so you need to give me some proof that you are working for mine and others own good."

Constantine smiled and said, "Good. The proof that you need is that Lily has already forgiven you. Plus, I have the pensieve memory to prove it." Constantine pulled a small vial out of his duster and handed it to Severus. "Your future contact will be Natasha Ivanova. Her codename is Victory. Good luck with helping Harry and his future wife in ten years time. You'll need it." After Severus gave the Oath to serve Harry, Constantine cancelled the charms he had previously cast, before walking out of the room with a wave.


	4. Chapter 3 The Lord and Lady

**[A/N]** Sorry for the late update. Life interfered with my writing and my characters decided to go on a brief vacation, despite rainy Oregon being a nice place even in winter. Also, there is that annoying Type 2 error. The workaround is to change the address in the browser when the error pops up by changing **property** to **content**. I'd like to thank robst for posting that in his latest chapter of "No Hurry At All", saved me from having to write an private message to a couple of people that had figured it out. Anyways, here is the newest chapter and please Read and Review or else I will have to say "NI!" and require you to bring me a shrubbery.

**[Disclaimer]** All canon characters and plotlines are owned by J K Rowling, I only own the non-canon characters and the plot of this story. I make no money off of this work.

**[To ladysavay] **I'm quite sorry that you are so narrow-minded in your attitude to this story. My writing is based on what the characters want me to write, not on forcing them into any specific plotline or ideal. Every one of my chapters are written straight from what they want me to write, there are no outlines, no chapter maps, just straight character roles and thoughts. Everything written here is not an idea that comes from my ideal plot, it comes from what I feel from each character. I am essentially their channeller, they do all the groundwork for plot and development. I just write what they want. Yes, I can see many ways of not having Harry abused, but he and the others very much demand this is the route I take with him. Their actions and reactions are based on what they would, and want to, do. Remember that, and maybe you might appreciate the difference in perspective for once. I just wish I could have done this reply in private, but as you block private messages; I have no other choice.

**[To everyone else]** Thank you for all your reviews. Hopefully as time goes on, the characters will answer any questions you have. I enjoy all of the reviews so far, and hope that I still bring you a lot of enjoyment from the story. And, now without further ado...Here is Chapter 3.

**Harry Potter and the Harbingers**

**Chapter 3**

**The Lord and Lady**

**June 19****th****, 1987**

**Chatham, Kent**

All seven, in a few months, eight years of her life had been strange. She did not remember most of her first several years, but she had overheard her parents speaking of it. From what she had overheard, she was an abnormally quiet child for most of her first year of life. In fact, her parents had mentioned that it seemed like she was almost waiting for something or someone. Then, the strange things that now made up her life started. She became quite a happy child suddenly in the mid-afternoon of July 31st, 1980. In fact, the timing was at exactly 15:00 GMT. That, in and of itself, was quite strange; but her parents had also said it seemed like she had been talking to someone that was and wasn't there.

For a year and three months, she continued to be happy and chattering away lovingly to her unseen friend; then, came that terrible night of Halloween in 1981. She had been sleeping peacefully, when she woke up screaming. She had screamed about the bad man and whimpered for her mum and dad. Her parents were quite shocked, as she acted as if they had died. The next day, she had acted like she had normally. The morning of the day after, November 2nd 1981; she started having strange markings and blotches on her skin that would disappear in the middle of the night. She would scream or cry in pain from time to time. Some days, she'd whimper in pain for the whole day and curl up into the fetal position. When these days happened, her parents would stay up until around midnight checking in on her; but at exactly midnight her cries and whimpering would cease. Her parents would check on her and notice that any marks, bruises, and blotches would be gone and that she was sleeping peacefully as if nothing had happened. The days of the pain were getting less and less frequent; but the pain on those days that still occurred was much greater.

Today, though there hadn't been any pain or blotches and bruises. No, today was a good day. She was off to the local playground to read some of her favorite books and enjoy the sunny summer day. She might even write in her journal while she was there. She had a few of her books, her journal, and some pens in her black tote bag that was slung over her shoulder. The things she had overheard her parents talking about confused her and she was quite curious as to what they meant. She didn't dare talk to her parents; because they might not like the fact she had overheard them talking. She hadn't meant to when she did, and she knew that they did not know the answers either. She'd have to find the answers out on her own, and that could take years.

She had reached the playground, and found a picnic table that was empty. She sat down, pulled her journal out of her bag, and opened it up. She flipped through the pages, just glancing at what she wrote until she got to the entry from earlier that morning.

_[Journal Entry]_

_June 19, 1987 08:00_

_I dreamt of him again last night, just like every night. His messy black hair, and his eyes…those piercing green eyes, how they can see so deep into my soul. I'll never be able to hide anything from him, yet I wish I knew who he was. How can I be dreaming of a person I have never known or met? How do I find him? I can see and feel his pain, his suffering, and I want to take it all away from him. I feel like I've known him all my life, yet I have never met him. I want to know who he is, where he is, and I want to meet him. A part of me tells me that I love him; but how can you love someone you've never met? I wish I knew the answers, I wish I knew __**him**__._

_[/Journal Entry]_

She sighed after reading the entry. It made her feel sad, loved, and frustrated all at once. She reached into her bag to get out a pen to write in the journal about the thoughts she had on her way over to the playground. When she got the pen out of her bag and turned towards her journal, it was gone. She looked up and around in a panic and saw several boys standing around her. She gulped when she saw that their leader, Gregory Alexander, was holding her journal and looking at her with an evil smile. Gregory was a ten-year old that was pretty much the local bully. He and his gang loved to terrorize and pick on the younger kids, including her. Gregory stood 5' even, had sandy-blond hair, and beady, cruel blue eyes. His lips were thin and almost colorless, but his face was pudgy despite his thin frame.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here, boys," Gregory sneered. "It's the bookworm, Hermione Granger. And, look, we have her little journal. Shall we see what is in it?"

"NO!" she cried. "Give it back!"

"Now, now, we just want to see what you have written, don't we boys?" Gregory asked cruelly.

"It's personal," Hermione said, pleading with her eyes.

"Personal?" Gregory laughed. "I don't see anything personal here, unless it belongs to us, right boys?"

The other three boys were laughing hard and loved watching the young girl squirm in embarrassment and fear. At least they did until they heard a menacing male voice from an adult behind them.

"Give the little lady her book back, now," the voice stated.

Gregory spun, not used to even the adults standing up to him and his gang. "And, if we don't?"

"You don't want to know," the man in the black fedora and black duster snarled, sending chills down the backs of everyone there, including Hermione's.

"Then, why don't you get it for her?" Gregory challenged, foolishly refusing to back down, just before throwing the journal over the man's head as hard as he could.

Surprising everyone, the man jumped and easily caught the journal in his right hand. Landing lightly, the man gave a soft chuckle and spoke, "Surprised? That was a foolish thing to do. However, if you stop picking on the people in this neighborhood and leave this playground now; you have nothing to fear from me. Otherwise, you'll pay a hefty price."

Each of the other boys gulped at this man's declaration and Gregory charged the man in rage. _"No one threatens me,"_ Gregory thought as he swung his right fist as hard as he could at the man.

The man just chuckled and caught Gregory's arm with his left hand, spun Gregory around, and twisted Gregory's arm behind his back holding the boy around the neck with his right arm. He then whispered, menacingly, into Gregory's left ear, "You should have listened to me. I will give you another chance, leave now or you won't like the consequences. And, leave the little lady at the picnic table alone. You know nothing of the martial arts, know nothing of combat, and lack discipline. I know far more about those things than you do. This means that you have less than a slim chance to beat me in a fight. As the old saying goes 'knowledge is power' and I have plenty of knowledge."

Gregory's face started to change color as at each word spoken into Gregory's ear was accompanied with an increase of pressure to his arm for emphasis. The man gave a small grimace, but held on firmly to the boy's arm. A small gust of wind brought the smell of fecal matter to the other boys and to Hermione. Hermione smiled knowing that Gregory had just crapped in his pants out of fear.

The man released Gregory and gave him a soft shove. The boy and the rest of the gang ran away from the playground with Gregory running with a strange gait. The man slowly walked over to Hermione at the picnic table. He smiled gently at her and bowed as he handed her journal to her, "I believe this belongs to you, my lady."

She smiled and said, "Thank you…for everything you've done here. Those boys were mean." She took the journal from the man. "Oh, by the way, my name is Hermione Granger. What's yours?" she asked him.

"My name is Constantine LeBrock. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said as he took off his fedora revealing his reddish-brown hair and took her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth to kiss the back of it.

She began to wonder why she felt safe around this stranger. Yes, he did save her from being picked on. Yes, he treated her like a gentleman should treat a lady. But, she never saw him before now. Plus, he had threatened children older than her to the point where they ran in fear of their lives. She should be running away from him in a panic. Yet, here she was calmly feeling like this person was someone who'd lay his life down to protect her out of respect and duty.

She smiled at Constantine, and he smiled back at her. He spoke gently, "I must take my leave of you, my lady. Until, we meet again." He bowed to her and walked out of the playground. After he left and she had calmed down from the incident, she opened her journal to write in it, and it opened to the last two pages where she found a note.

_My Lady,_

_Keep this journal with you and protect it. I shall be able to send you messages through it. If you need to send a message to me, just write a note on a separate piece of paper and place it between the last two pages. Just remember to keep the last two pages of this journal blank._

_Your friend,_

_Constantine_

_PS. Don't let anyone else know about this, it could cause both of us problems._

She reread the note several times. What did he do? How did he do it? Was this all a joke? If this was real, what did he want with her? Why was he acting like her friend? Should she be afraid of him? All of these questions rushed through her mind. Yet, she still felt the urge to trust this Constantine. He did save her journal and privacy.

But, she knew that what happened was not a coincidence. Too many things pointed to him being there for a reason, almost like he had been watching over her or some other person. He had left quite quickly when Gregory's gang had disappeared and had been quite gracious towards her during and after the incident. No, he had to have been there keeping an eye on her, why else would he put a note in her journal? Her mind still swirled with questions as she wrote about the incident in her journal and about her questions about what she had overheard her parents discussing about her and the way this Constantine showed up out of nowhere. But, she was distracted from these thoughts by feelings of frustration, longing, and sadness from the boy of her dreams. She sighed at these feelings as they were in many ways reflections of her own.

**Cupboard under the Stairs**

**#4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

The messy black-haired, green-eyed boy was lying on his small mattress in his cupboard daydreaming about a girl with bushy brown hair and bright chocolate eyes that offered a warmth and comfort that he had never known. When he dreamed of her the hell that was living with the Dursleys disappeared. All the pain, the suffering, and fear disappeared and were replaced by hope, love, and security. At least today they were leaving him alone. He could just let his mind wander; too bad he had nothing to write his dreams down on. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia wouldn't allow him anything other than basic needs and just enough supplies to do only part of his homework.

He, also, questioned why he dreamt of her. He never met anyone outside of school and she did not go to his school. He had never seen her in his life, but still she was always on his mind. Thoughts of her made every day bearable, even the beatings were bearable no matter how much pain he went through. That was another thing that bothered him. If he was beaten, the next day there would be absolutely no sign of any damage; even if he had broken bones or was bleeding afterwards. Also, any mess he made in the cupboard after a beating from blood loss was gone the next morning. It was as if someone had magically cleaned things up and healed him in the middle of the night.

Harry sighed, and then spoke softly to the ceiling, "Why did all of this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? My parents are dead and were killed because they got drunk and drove. But, why am I being punished for their mistakes. I didn't make them drink so much that they wrecked their car. I didn't make them die. Why can't Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley see that I did nothing to deserve this treatment? Why do they even treat me the way they do? They call me 'freak' and 'boy'; only recently did I even know my own name."

Once again, he let out a soft sigh. Then, he felt it a surge of panic and fear. His dream girl was frightened and worried. He wished he could help her, but he was locked in this cupboard. He, also, felt anger welling up inside him which was echoed and reinforced by what he felt from the girl. Then, the feeling from the girl changed. It went from a mixture of fear, worry, and anger to shock, amazement, and gratitude. He knew that someone was helping her, and he wished it was him. Finally, the emotions he was feeling from the girl turned into wonder and shock at being flattered, then he felt confusion and worry but the wonder, shock, and gratitude were still there. This confused him, but he couldn't focus as his own anxiety and anger disappeared. She was safe now, he could sense that.

He smiled now that he knew she was safe, but he could tell she was confused and a bit worried about whatever had happened. He just wished he could be there for her. He wished he could meet and get to know her. He let out a low growl of frustration and tried to keep the sadness that followed at bay.

After a while, maybe a couple of hours, the cupboard door was unlocked and his uncle's bellow could be heard quite clearly, "BOY! Get out here and make dinner now!"

Harry got up off the ratty old mattress and made his way to the kitchen to make dinner for the Dursleys. Any food he made was eaten quickly by Vernon and Dudley, and if there was any left it went to Petunia. When it came to food, very little was ever given to him. He wasn't even allowed to make his own food. If he did, he would be beaten severely.

However, today, Vernon seemed to be in a good mood. "Boy, you do a good job cooking this meal, and then you might get a bowl of soup, tonight."

Harry sighed sadly. He just wanted a normal meal like most people. He wanted a family that loved him, not hated him as his aunt, uncle, and cousin did just for existing. But, a bowl of cold soup, which is what would be insisted upon, was better than a couple of slices of toast, which was his normal dinner.

**Near London Bridge Station**

Connie entered his flat and saw that Natasha was home. He smiled at her, even though her back was turned. Walking up behind her, he slid his hands around her waist and pulled her back against him to kiss her neck. "Hello, my love," he whispered in her ear, "Did you get the picnic basket I asked you to get for me?"

"Yes, my dear," Natasha smiled then turned around and looked at Connie with worry etched on her face. "But, why are we doing this? You've told me that Lily said that we could heal him, not that we could feed him, or do much of anything else to protect or provide for him."

"We're doing this because he needs to be properly fed, and that helps with any healing we need to do," Connie said. "Remember the first several nights that I healed him? I was completely drained each night, despite only using the runes on my katana. Sadly, one of the runes is a blood rune. That rune transfers the damage onto me, which I then healed using my wand and healing charms. This, in turn, caused a great deal of exhaustion until you and the others returned. Now, that we are rotating our duty of checking on Harry, none of us are being drained like I had been at the beginning."

"I know, you looked absolutely terrible when I came home, love," she replied. "You looked like you hadn't eaten or gotten any sleep for days. I had to almost force you to tell me what was going on and to allow the rest of us to help, despite my having guessed correctly about it."

_[Flashback]_

_She opened the door to the flat she shared with Connie glad to finally be home. She was looking forward to seeing the man she loved with all her heart. It had been about two weeks since she had received his call telling her the two words she wanted to hear for the past year and eight months. She had to take a roundabout route to try to lose all the Soviet spies which caused her to fly to half the major cities in Europe before flying into London Heathrow. She shuddered at the thought of having to avoid her countrymen, because she could not afford to let them see her in the company of an American and not be spying on him as her orders were originally. If they found out, she would be executed on the spot for treason. Yet, she would take the risk, because she was a Harbinger and loved her commanding officer with all her heart._

_She was shocked when she saw him sitting on the sofa in the living area. He looked haggard and gaunt as if he had not slept or ate in days. She ran over to him and gasped when she saw the black bags under his eyes and the grayness of his skin. She slowly reached out to touch him, and he grabbed her wrist gently but with surprising strength._

"_I'm fine, Natasha," Connie whispered to her. "It's nothing a few days of peace won't cure."_

"_You're not fine, Connie," Natasha scolded him. "You look like you haven't eaten or slept in days. What's wrong? Please tell me."_

"_It's nothing. I swear," Connie replied._

"_Liar," she whispered causing him to look at her with hurt-filled, haunted eyes._

_Connie sighed, "Okay, it's not nothing, but I really can't tell you much about it. It's my mission, Natasha. It's what James and Lily ordered me to do."_

"_So, it's your mission," Natasha growled at him. "It doesn't mean that you can't ask any of the rest of us to help you. You can delegate it to us as well, if you need to. And, judging by the way you look, you need us to help you. Dammit, Connie, I believe you are using the blood rune on your sword to heal someone. You won't be able to finish your mission if you keep this up. You're going to kill yourself if you don't get the proper rest. You are slowly draining your magic every time you use the blood rune and whatever charms to heal the resulting damage transferred over to you from the person you are healing."_

"_Natasha, I appreciate the thought, but I was given specific instructions," Connie retorted. "I can't ask you to help."_

"_So, James and Lily told you not to let the rest of us help you?" she queried. "They specifically said 'Don't ask the other Harbingers for help to heal so-and-so', right?"_

"_Ummm…"Connie stammered. "No, they didn't, but it was sort of implied by James."_

"_Which means that you probably can let us help, Connie; but you don't want to burden us and are afraid that something might happen due to our actions. You're a good leader, but you need to delegate and spread out the burdens on you," she stated, clearly exasperated. "Sometimes, you try to do too much, and right now is one of those times."_

_Connie hung his head in defeat, before replying to her. "Yes, you know me too well. I have been doing something that I was told to do, and have felt that I am the only one allowed to do it. There is so much at stake with what I have to do that I never really thought that I could ask you and the others to help me."_

"_So, what is it?" she asked._

"_Every night around midnight, I go to a house in Little Whinging. In that house in a cupboard under the stairs, lies a boy that I have been healing. That boy is one part of my mission. The other part is a girl, but I have to deal with her alone as I have abilities that you or the others lack. I don't know the girl's name, yet; but I will soon. The boy, though, is our new Lord…Harry Potter," he whispered._

_Natasha gasped at the revelations, but quickly recovered. "So, will you allow the rest of us to help you heal and keep an eye on Harry?" she asked._

"_Yes, and tonight, you get to heal him with the runes on your bow," Connie replied._

_[/Flashback]_

She looked up, coming out of her reverie to see Connie loading the picnic basket up with food and drink. She, also, noticed some new runes that he must have added to the basket. "Connie, what are those runes for?"

"Oh, the one rune allows us and Harry to see the basket while preventing others from noticing it. The second rune allows for the basket to be filled remotely. This means that after tonight, we can make meals here and put them in the basket without actually having to be at the physical location of the basket. It works similar to the Floo Network and portkeys. Also, the third rune allows it to be shrunk by just a thought and a touch. I'll be taking this over to Harry's tonight and letting him know how it works. And, I'll let him know he has people who care watching over him, even though there is only a limited amount we can do for him at the moment," Connie sighed. "I just wish we could do more and get him out of that hellhole, but in order to do so, we need Sirius free."

"I know, love, but we aren't making much headway on that subject," Natasha stated. "We have no idea where Peter Pettigrew is, and without him, we can't bring up a case to get him freed."

"I know, my dear. We're just going to have to be patient," he stated as he came up to her and enfolded her in his arms.

**#4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

**Around midnight**

Connie was careful as he snuck up to the door of the house where Harry lived in a cupboard. When he got to the door, he quietly cast "Alohomora" on the door unlocking it. Then, he quietly turned the doorknob and opened the door. He listened carefully to see if anyone was disturbed by the doorknob turning and the door opening. Hearing nothing but loud snores coming from upstairs, he quietly made his way to the Cupboard under the Stairs where Harry slept.

He, again, cast the unlocking charm on the door to the cupboard and quietly opened it as he had in the nearly six years since Harry had been left with the Dursleys. He still hated seeing Harry sleeping on the small, worn out mattress in the cupboard. He entered the cupboard being careful to not hit his head on the low ceiling. When he reached Harry's sleeping form, he bent down and cast a quiet diagnostic charm to see if Harry had been injured. Finding no new injuries and that all the previous ones were fully healed, Connie gave a small sigh of relief. Then, Connie reached into his pocket and pulled out the shrunken picnic basket and set it on the floor out of the way.

Connie, once again, bent over Harry and gently nudged the boy's shoulder trying to wake him up slowly. "Harry," he whispered, "I need you to wake up."

Harry groaned and then swiftly shot up into a sitting position, instantly alert to the fact that he wasn't alone in the cupboard. "Who are you?" he asked, quietly.

"I'm a friend, Harry," Connie replied. "I knew your parents. I won't tell you my name, in order to prevent others like me from finding out, just in case. I'm here to help you as much as I can, but right now, I can't do too much. You have bad people that want to hurt you in control over your life. If I do too much for you, they would be alerted that your allies have found you. We cannot risk getting you out of here, because if we do, we risk them doing even worse things to you. Our main priority is to keep you healthy and when the time is right get you out of here. However, that time probably won't come for several more years, do you understand?"

Harry nodded, even though he didn't really understand. The man in front of him seemed to realize this.

"Harry, you are an important person, and there are two factions out there wanting to either control or to kill you," Connie explained. "I belong to another faction that is loyal to you and your family. However, this faction is few in numbers and has to work behind the scenes for the time being. If we declare ourselves openly, then you would be killed. We can't afford to let that happen, so you must promise me that you won't say anything to anyone about this visit."

Harry nodded again, knowing instinctively that this was a person he could trust.

Connie continued, after pausing long enough to see Harry nod, "I have brought you this picnic basket. It is designed so that only you, I, and a few other allies can see it. It can be shrunk by touching it and it will keep food in it fresh indefinitely. Plus, it can be refilled without any one of us that know about this basket actually having to sneak in here to do so. So, feel free to eat as much as you want. I must be going now, but you need to eat, get some sleep, and try to keep healthy. We will be keeping an eye on you, in case you need help; but we cannot stop the people raising you from doing what they are doing. We can only try to mitigate the damage done to you."

Harry smiled; at least someone was watching over him and trying to help. "Goodbye, friend," Harry said as he gave the man a hug.

Connie left, making sure that everything was the way it was when he arrived. He turned and looked back at the house and said "Goodnight, my lord, sleep well." Then, he Disapparated quietly back to his and Natasha's flat .


	5. Chapter 4 Danger, Revelations, and Soul

**[A/N]** Okay, here's the 4th chapter. Now in this one, I show the dark side of Connie and his "Shadow" persona. There might be similarities between Connie's Shadow persona and "The Shadow" as performed in radio and in the movie starring Alec Baldwin. I may also be giving a little too much insight into what is actually going on at the end; but it's what was dictated to me. The first part of this chapter was quite difficult for me to write, but the last part felt like I could keep going about. I did not want that, hence Natasha's last line. Please Read and Review, or else, I'll have to resurrectAndre the Giant and pair him with Mandy Patakin to perform the rhyming scene in "The Princess Bride".

**[Note about the months used]** I used the Old English months from:  
. I felt they were appropriate due to the time-frame of the Journal entries. Granted, I probably should have used a French month for the first journal entry but wanted consistency and wasn't sure what language it would have been in due to the Franks having moved there. I decided to use the original name for France (Gaul) during Roman Times.

**[Disclaimer] **I don't own Harry Potter nor any of the canon characters. Sorry, if I did; Harry and Hermione would have gotten together, with maybe a few other girls. Yes, I would have considered Harry with a Harem; and almost always with Hermione being the first amongst equals.

**Harry Potter and the Harbingers**

**Chapter 4**

**Danger, Revelations, and Soul Bonds**

**September 20, 1990**

**Chatham, Kent**

Hermione Granger was walking home from school in an alley. She had taken this route every school day, as it was the quickest way to her house. She was wearing her school uniform, which consisted of a white blouse, a black skirt, black shoes, and white socks. Her book bag was slung over her shoulder as she hurried to get home. She hadn't felt comfortable since leaving the school. She kept looking behind her, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Yet, she had this terrible foreboding feeling like she was being followed by someone that was not nice.

Alphonso Dartelli smiled at his prey. Yes, that bushy brown-hair girl will definitely make a lively victim. He had disillusioned himself back at her school and had followed her. He was glad she chose to walk down this alley; no one would see what would happen to her except by pure chance. He pulled out his wand and started to close the gap between them, preparing to cast his favorite curses. "Impedimenta!" "Petrificus Totalus!"

The first curse splashed against a shield that seemed to suddenly appear around Hermione. The shield was not strong enough to stand up to the spell and shattered, allowing the second spell to strike Hermione causing her to freeze in place and fall over as her body refused to move for her. Alphonso sauntered up to her, grinning cruelly. It had been a long time since he started raping and murdering in the name of Lord Voldemort; but now, he was doing this for his own perverse enjoyment.

"Looks like I found me a Muggle-born to play with," he sneered. "You are going to be so much more fun than the Muggles you hang around with. I'm going to enjoy bending you to my will. Finite Incantatem! Imperio!"

Hermione suddenly heard a voice in her mind as her limbs started to obey her. The voice was telling her to start taking off her clothes. Another, weaker, but familiar voice was protesting telling her it was wrong. A small part of her own mind though was screaming in horror and fear, but her body wasn't resisting the first voice. At first she hesitated, but then she started unbuttoning her blouse. As her hands reached the last button of her blouse and she took a step towards Alphonso, her world suddenly went dark.

**Connie's Flat near London Bridge Station**

Connie and Natasha were sitting on the sofa looking through the various journals of Connie's ancestors. So far they had found no clues as to what Connie was supposed to find in them. Natasha set aside the journal she had just finished looking through and leaned against Connie. She knew he was frustrated at not finding any information or clues about what he needed to find out about Harry. There was still one volume left to look at though, but this one needed to be looked at by Connie alone. That had been made clear by the letter from Sebastian to Connie that had accompanied the journals.

Connie sighed in frustration as he put aside the journal that he had just finished reading. "This is frustrating," he complained. "There is absolutely nothing in these journals. This is just a waste of time."

"Love," Natasha gently chided him, "this isn't a waste of time. We still have one more journal to go through and it's one only you can read as your father instructed. Sadly, it's the oldest journal of the lot. I can tell it is centuries old, but not exactly how old it is."

"It's over 1400 years old, Natasha," he spoke softly. "It's the one journal that I am most loath to look at, since it was written in the time of King Arthur Pendragon by Sir Lancelot du Lac, I believe. Opening it will probably start a cascade of events, love. There is a prophecy about this particular journal in regards to my family and Wizarding Britain. The prophecy essentially states that whichever member of my family that opens this journal would restore the throne of Magical Britain, but will die in the process."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I'm talking about Camelot, love," he replied. "Most people including magicals believe that Camelot was a myth or a realm that disappeared…" His voice trailed off as his body stiffened, then a grim mask fell over his face. He suddenly snarled, "I need to go," and stood up quickly almost knocking Natasha off the sofa. As he stood, his katana, fedora, and duster flew from their locations into his hands. He donned the fedora and turned while putting on his duster and Natasha could see that his face was now covered in darkness with only two glowing red eyes looking out.

_"Oh, CRAP!" _she thought. _"Someone is going to die today, and it won't be pretty. He's in full Shadow mode. Someone has attacked the future Lord…NO… LADY Potter. If it was the Lord, I would feel it. And, right now, I feel nothing. Connie, though, is thoroughly enraged. He has never gone into Shadow mode unless on a mission, and that was before either of them were born."_

**Cupboard under the Stairs**

**Little Whinging, Surrey**

Harry was lying on his mattress, completely bored out of his mind. He had been immediately sent to it as soon as he gotten back from school. He was grounded; because Dudley had gotten a detention for trying to get lunch money from a kid in school. Dudley had threatened the kid without realizing a teacher was there listening right behind him. Harry was getting punished; because it had to be the "freak's" fault. Uncle Vernon had to leave work early to pick up Dudley from school and talk with the staff at the school.

He was thinking about his dream girl, yet again. The dreams had been getting weaker and less clear, though; but the longing to be near her was still there. Only on occasion did he feel strong emotions from her during the day. It was as if whatever linked them was getting weaker, and he feared losing that link. If it disappeared, would he ever truly be loved? He had felt love all through his life from the link with her, and it had kept him going even when he was nearly broken physically.

His friends or allies had kept visiting him at midnight each night. Sometimes he would talk to them, but they never really talked about themselves. They tended to be only focused on how he was doing. He hadn't told them about his dreams, the girl, or the link between them, despite feeling like he should. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a strong wave of fear washing over him.

_"NO! She's in danger! Someone help her!"_ his thoughts raced through his mind pleading for her safety. Then, he felt her calm, but he knew something was wrong. He tried to project his thoughts to her. _"Fight it! Whatever you are being told is wrong! No! Don't do it!"_

Suddenly, there was nothing. Was she dead? Was she unconscious? Was she hurt? He had no idea and panic was rising within him. Then, he felt her again, but what he felt was shame, self-doubt, and violation. These emotions were even fainter, almost like she was trying to block them before he could feel them. He tried pouring out his concern and love for her; but he was not sure if she felt his emotions. Then, he felt the negative emotions stop and he felt her sending love across their link. But, he thought as he felt the emotions change that he saw the man that had brought him the picnic basket that one night a few years ago.

**Chatham, Kent**

Shadow shifted into existence in the alley where Hermione was unbuttoning her school blouse. Not even bothering to pull out his wand or his katana, Shadow cast a silent Stupefy and a silent cushion charm in rapid succession at Hermione. Then, he cast a Petrificus Totalus and an Incarcerous at the man standing in front of Hermione. The man had just registered shock as Hermione collapsed in a heap in front of him and had not noticed the hexes rapidly approaching him. Shadow watched in smug satisfaction as the man became completely rigid, falling to the ground as ropes bound him tight.

Shadow walked over to the man, and then bent down to look at him. The man's face showed great fear, and the man's eyes showed a spark of recognition. Shadow smiled knowing full well that the man could not see the smile, yet could recognize that his death was approaching. "Oh, not yet," Shadow spoke in a menacing whisper to the man. "You have to pay for your misdeeds, and death right now would be too light a sentence to give you. And, I will make sure you pay the full price."

He disillusioned the man that had attacked Hermione. Then, he approached her unconscious form and after rebuttoning her blouse cast "Enervate" on her. By the time she woke up, Shadow was gone and Connie stood in his place. Connie bent down over her and asked, "Lady Hermione, are you okay?"

She looked at him with fear, panic, self-doubt, shame, and violation in her eyes. She shook her head in the negative.

Connie sighed and asked her, "If I could do you want me to take away you're your mind what happened to you, today?"

She asked in a small whisper, "Can you do that?"

He nodded as he said, "Yes, I can."

She looked at him pleadingly, "Please, do so. I can't handle this right now."

Connie nodded, pulling out his wand and point it at her before saying, "Legilimens."

He rooted through her memories of the day, ordering the events that happened in the alley. He tried to prevent her from reliving the attack as best he could, then he covered those memories with a false one of her walking through the alley then tripping over something and falling. He pulled out of her mind after double-checking his work.

"Are you okay?" Connie asked her again.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine," she replied. "I better get home. Thank you for helping me, again, Mr. LeBrock."

"You're welcome, Miss Granger," Connie smiled as she scrambled to her feet and headed home with a wave to him. When she left the alley and moved out of sight, the smile disappeared from his face as darkness covered his face once again. He turned his attention back to her disillusioned attacker.

"You're coming with me," Shadow said malevolently to the attacker. "Your punishment will begin now." He grabbed the man and disapparated to a warehouse district in London. Whereupon he cast many wards and charms to prevent people from stumbling on him and his victim. Then, he carefully unpetrified the man's limbs one at a time and tied him to a crucifix.

Shadow finally cast Finite Incantatem on the man's entire body. "So, who are you?" he asked the man.

The man had begun blubbering in fear from the moment he could speak again and futilely tried breaking the bonds on his arms and legs holding him to the cross. Shadow stepped up and backhanded the man across the face. "Answer the question, who are you?"

"Al...Al…Alphonso Dar…Dartelli," he stammered.

"Ahhh…you're just a low level Death Eater thinking that you could get away with your crimes," Shadow sneered. "Sadly, today you made the wrong move on the wrong person, and now you pay the price."

Shadow pulled out of his duster a ritual knife covered in runes and flashed it in front of Alphonso. Alphonso's face grew pale knowing that he was going to die a horrible death. Then, Shadow used the knife to carve a stasis rune into the flesh of Alphonso's chest, causing pain filled screams to fill the air. After he finished carving the rune, he proceeded to begin breaking all the bones in Alphonso's body. Then, he set about skinning Alphonso alive; leaving skin only where the Dark Mark was located and on his face so he could be identified. All throughout this process, he only paused whenever Alphonso passed out. Then, when he was satisfied with his handiwork, Shadow destroyed to rune and let Alphonso finally die. He made sure that there was no evidence of his presence took down the wards and charms, and then disappeared.

**Near Midnight**

**#4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey**

For some reason Connie was not looking forward to checking in on Harry. He was very uneasy and it had nothing to do with his Shadow persona controlling him most of the day. No, it was as if there was something that he would learn that would shock him to the core…something important and, even more important, rare. As he did every time he visited Harry, he made sure no one saw him and quietly entered the house and then the cupboard. This time he was surprised as Harry was wide awake awaiting him.

"You did something to her, didn't you?" Harry asked quietly, but with an implied menace.

Connie almost took a step backwards at Harry's tone and surprising comment, but he had a sneaky suspicion enter his mind. "How did you know? And, what I did was with her permission and only to prevent her from being traumatized by her experience this afternoon. I did nothing to harm her. All I did was to protect her and to punish the one that tried to harm her."

Harry nodded in the darkness of the cupboard, "I knew because I can feel her and in times of powerful feelings, I can see through her eyes. I dream of her every night, but the dreams and the feelings are weakening slowly." Harry looked at Connie with fear in his eyes. "What's happening to me?"

Connie smiled sadly, "I wish I knew, Harry, but I will look into it. I have suspicions but no firm ideas as to what is going on with you. Wait, you say you can feel her? How long has this been going on?"

"All of my life," Harry replied.

Connie was rocked to his core. The suspicions in his mind were caused by the words that Lily had said to him and the one vial in the box of her visions. That vial had been labeled "_Soul-bonding revealed: DO NOT VIEW FIRST! Find the vial labeled 'Instructions for Connie,' it's located on your left at the front, you ninny._" If he was right, then Harry and Hermione were soul bonded, but he had to confirm that, first, but how? If they were soul bonded, then it would be the first since King Arthur and Queen Guinevere Pendragon, according to family legend. And if that was truly the case, then the prophecy regarding his family would definitely be focused on him, as the family legends linked the soul bonding of Arthur and Guinevere with his family's fortune. A cold shiver shot down his spine at this realization.

"Harry," Connie said trying to hide the anxiety inside him, "I need to go. I promise if I find out what is happening to you and the girl, then I will try to let you know. I will see you later, and take care, my friend."

Harry replied, "Thank you, and I will do my best."

Connie left quietly and made sure to hide his presence yet again before disapparating.

**Connie's Flat near London Bridge Station**

Connie appeared in the living area with a soft pop, which Natasha was waiting for. She could tell that he was agitated about something, especially when he grabbed the old journal from the table in front of the sofa. He began scanning the pages quickly, seemingly ignoring everything around him.

"Ah ha!" he exclaimed after turning a page, "Found it!"

Natasha moved over to him just before he thrust the book into her hands. "Read it," he told her. She looked at the writing; the first bit looked to be a mixture of old French and old English with some Latin and Gaelic thrown in for good measure.

_[Journal Entries]_

_Day 15 of Modra-niht in the Year of Our Lord 485_

_I can feel them, but where are they? None here in Gaul can stand against me. I must find them, it is imperative that I find them. They must be protected, but HE must beat me in combat first to prove his worth. I think I shall go to Britannia the pull seems to be coming from the north still._

_Day 12 of __Æftera-Geol-monaþ in the Year of Our Lord 486_

_I have found HIM! He has defeated me using his powers. While he feels that he has cheated me by using them, I keep telling him that he has not. When in battle, you need to use every resource available and not narrow your focus on just being honorable. Most enemies would kill you anyway they could, and Arthur needs to learn this. He has told me that he dreams of a young woman that he has never met. I am guiding him towards where I feel her presence and as we get closer the more he can sense her. His awareness will drift as we ride and he will act like he is talking to her. He has told me that he could feel her for as long as he could remember her but that in recent years it seemed to be lessening._

_Day 15 of [Æftera]-Geol-monaþ in the Year of our Lord 487_

_We have reached the castle of Leondegrance. Sadly, when we reached there a battle was taking place. We made sure that we arrived as quickly as possible, while gathering reinforcements, after the messenger reached us of the impending attack. Leondegranceis one of Arthur's staunchest supporters. After the battle, in which we won by Arthur's brilliant and selfless strategy to get the opposing side to Knight him, as that is the only reason that they wouldn't follow him, we celebrated the new alliance. That's where Arthur saw HER. I was sitting near him in the Great Hall, when I saw him stiffen in shock. I could see the look of absolute adoration on his face, and I turned to look in the direction he was looking. I saw her and saw the same look mirrored in her face. Then IT happened. One moment, they were just staring at each other from across the room, and then with a bright golden flash they were in each other'sarms in the middle of the room witha golden glow surrounding them. They kissed and the glow surrounding them became streaked with all colors of the rainbow and grew to surround the entire Hall. As the glow passed over me, I felt a strong flow of love through my heart and my spirit soared. Right then and there, I swore that I and my progeny would forever protect the couple and their heirs and mates. I could also sense that the connection between them became stronger and at the same time my sense of their presence grew stronger as well._

_[/Journal Entries]_

Natasha looked up at Connie as she finished reading and saw that he was pouring a vial of something into a stone basin covered in runes. She recognized it as a pensieve. "Connie, what are you doing?" she asked.

He smiled at her, "I'm going to confirm something. I believe that what happened between Guinevere and Arthur is what is happening to Harry and Hermione, the girl I have been keeping an eye on. This vial is a vision that Lily had that I have to view. Sorry, love, but you can't enter the pensieve withme. I don't know if this part is safe to share withyou, and from prior instructions I'm not allowed to let you interact with Lily's memories directly unless the bottle is labeled for you specifically."

Natasha nodded to him quietly. She watched him as he stuck his head in the pensieve after swirling the contents of the bowl with his finger.

_[Pensieve contents]_

_Connie felt himself land on the floor of Potter Manor's library, this time due to lack of concentration he actually fell flat on his face. Light laughter reached his ears as he picked himself up off the floor. He turned towards the laughter and saw Lily approaching him._

_"I believe that you have figured out what is going on with Harry and his intended," she said. "You have read your family's journals and found the one written by Lancelot to be the one you needed to read. And, yes, this does put in motion your family's dreaded prophecy. But, take heart, Constantine, there is always more than one interpretation to prophecy. Just as there are many paths we can take in any situation until we make a choice. Don't be limited by fear of what may happen, even prophecy can be wrong from time to time. Come I need to show you what will happen between Harry and his intended, but you cannot let either of them know until after it happens."_

_Connie nodded as he took her stretched out hand. "I will take your words to heart, Lady Lily," he replied a smile starting to form. Then, a bright flash blinded him and he found himself on Platform 9 and ¾. He looked around at the busy platform, searching for two people. He saw Harry trying to sneak onto the train, but two redheads, whom looked to be identical, stopped him and helped him into the train. They came out and raced to their family of fellow redheads. "Guess who is on the train?" one of the redheads said. "Harry Potter!" the other one exclaimed. Connie shook his head in disgust. Why did people have to treat Harry like a display piece, some sort of circus attraction, or, in the case of the Dursleys, some sort of personal slave? The boy should be treated like what he was, a boy with feelings._

_However, Lily tugged on Connie's arm and dragged him towards the train. They got on the train and wandered a bit looking for Harry. They found him in a compartment near the back. They passed through the compartment's door and stood near the window. Only then did Connie wonder where Hermione was. Connie looked out the window of the compartment and noticed a commotion on the platform. He couldn't see what caused it but there was a crowd of people surrounding someone and a weird unidentifiable feeling passed through him._

_As they stood there watching Harry try to remain inconspicuous the door slid open and the very recognizable bushy brown-haired girl entered. She looked at Harry and froze right on the spot without uttering a sound. Harry looked up as if someone had called his name, looked right at the girl, and froze as well. They stared at each other but then were suddenly drawn together like the opposing poles of electromagnets. Their lips touched and a golden glow surrounded them. Meanwhile the door to the compartment slammed shut and the lights in the train flickered wildly. An unearthly scream could be heard and a dark wisp of a smoke-like substance oozed out of Harry's scar. A rainbow of color began radiating over the glow and soon began expanding from them. The rainbow spread until the entire train was bathed in it. Then as suddenly as it came the glow disappeared._

_Harry and Hermione broke their kiss slowly and gazed deep into each other's eyes. They each whispered their love to the other, then sat on the bench in the compartment together without letting go. Hermione snuggled into Harry and the vision faded until Connie and Lily were in the Potter Manor Library once again._

_Lily turned to Connie and said, "Do you know what you just saw?"_

_"Yes," he replied. "Harry and Hermione began strengthening their soul bond. It has been weakening, because they have never met. But, it has existed since they were born. I know Hermione is a year older; I've been in her mind, with her permission of course. What happened is exactly what was written in my ancestor's journal about what happened between King Arthur and Queen Guinevere Pendragon. In truth, it was that bond that caused the formation of the original Harbingers and bound my family to the Potters. It, also, means that my family's prophecy is now in motion and that Harry is the one who will reestablish the Kingdom of Camelot to its glory. Plus, Harry will have access to his true inheritance from Gringotts. I must begin to prepare, as this will happen in less than a year from now. At which point, all of the Harbingers must be ready to act on a moment's notice."_

_Lily nodded, because Connie was correct on all points. At the age of 12, by virtue of being soul bonded, Harry would be emancipated and the gifts that his most famous ancestor had set aside. It would paint a target on the backs of both Harry and the girl. "You do realize that Harry and the girl would both be in grave danger at that point?" she asked Connie. "Also, there was something else that occurred during the reinforcement of their bond, did you not notice it?"_

_"Yes, I do," Connie replied. "We'll have to make sure the Manor and the safe-houses are well protected and reinforced. I did notice a dark spirit being driven out of Harry's scar. The power and pure love that flowed from the reinforcement of the bond probably drove a piece of Voldemort's soul out of Harry's body. Voldemort's soul when he attacked you, James, and Harry in 1981 must have been so unstable when his body was destroyed that a piece of his soul attached itself onto Harry in an attempt to survive."_

_"So, what are you going to do about it?" Lily asked._

_Connie smiled, "I will just have to train Harry how to fight using bothspells and other weapons including his hands. He will need to know how to be good in combat, and I will try to get him and Hermione to live together so as to allow her to train with him. Together they would be far more formidable than apart, and they can help watch each other's back. There will probably be some difficulties as others, particularly Dumbledore, would try to interfere."_

_"Good," Lily also smiled, "go let Natasha know what you have found out. She can help you with them."_

_Connie smiled and found himself lifting off of the Library floor and heading out of the pensieve._

_[/Pensieve contents]_

Connie looked at Natasha's worried face as soon as he came out of the pensieve. "It is as I thought, love," Connie said to her. "Harry and Hermione will be soul bonded which is the first time since King Arthur and Queen Guinevere that a soul bond has occurred. It, also, means that the Kingdom of Camelot will be close to being reestablished. Finally, it will mean war for Magical Britain between three factions: Merlin's descendants, a Dark Lord, and Arthur's descendant. We know who the Dark Lord and Arthur's descendant are, but we know little about Merlin's descendants. Although I suspect that they are Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore. Those two have had a lot druidic influence on their magic and outlooks on life. It's quite similar to what Lancelot wrote about Merlin."

Natasha looked shocked at these revelations. "Didn't Arthur die as the result of wounds suffered at Camlannin battle with Mordred?" she asked.

"Yes, and no," Connie replied. "He died due to his wounds suffered at Camlann, but it was in battle with both Mordred and Merlin. Merlin had betrayed him to Mordred and then attacked Arthur when his attention was on Mordred in single combat. Because of this, Arthur suffered severe wounds but was still able to kill Mordred. However, Merlin was able to escape; but due to his failure to kill Arthur failed to gain control over the Kingdom. Instead, it fell into shambles with every so often a new war flaring up between so-called light and dark forces. It became an endless cycle. Very few people know about this cycle, even though if people were properly educated and were observant, then it would be apparent.

Instead, the world had to wait for Arthur's true heir to be born. What many people did not know is that at the time of the final battle both Guinevere and Lancelot's wife, Aeronwen, were pregnant withsons. They both went into hiding upon learning of the deaths of their husbands. Aeronwen changed her and her son's last name and it ended up eventually becoming LeBrock. Guinevere ended up marrying a man whose profession was making pottery, hence House Potter. Essentially, what we have is the formation of House Potter out of the ashes of House Pendragon, and eternally linked to them is House LeBrock, which is truly House duLac. My House is usually not very strong magic-wise, we're usually average wizards and witches, but we make up for it in terms of knowledge, skill, and physical combat skills and knowledge. House Potter is very powerful in terms of magic, they are on par with the greatest wizards and witches in history; but few realize this since they have tried to hide that power as much as possible. This combination is what has allowed Potter's Harbingers to thrive throughout history and kept House Potter relatively unscathed in the wars for dominance of Wizarding Britain."

"So, what you are saying is that Harry is really Prince Harry Pendragon of Camelot and you are his most knowledgeable knight and protector? Also, that this Hermione is his perfect mate and the key to unlocking his potential, correct?" Natasha asked.

Connie nodded, "And that all of us have to prepare for his finding out about all of this. When he turns 12 he will be able to claim his full inheritance, at which point everything we have done will become critical. We HAVE to protect him and Lady Hermione from their enemies no matter who they are. Once their bonding is complete, that is when they finally have sex together; then you and the others will be able to sense her. Until that time, I am the only one able to defend her on a moment's notice, as shown earlier today."

Natasha nodded, tears in her eyes, just two more years then she and Connie could ask Harry and Hermione for permission to marry. But, in the meantime, she would still have to be patient and could not afford to become pregnant as she wanted. Connie was beholden to his Lord and could not have a family without permission first. It would bring dishonor onto him and as the vow of Lancelot bound him, he would be destroyed by even inadvertently disobeying his Lord. His own magic would see to that. She pulled him into her embrace and whispered into his ear, "Let's go to bed, love, we can talk about this more later. It's late and you are exhausted."

Connie nodded and took her hand as they headed off to bed.


End file.
